Jessie Was 92 and Blind, but No One Seemed to Care for Her; Anguished Son Hits out as He Is Offered PS900 Compensation for His Torment

Article excerpt

HIS frail mother died shortly after being found in squalor while supposedly being cared for - now he's been offered PS900 for his torment.

Today Mike Wiseman angrily criticised the authority which offered him the compensation.

Mr Wiseman fought a two-year campaign to expose failings in the care provided to his disabled mum Jessie after she was found surrounded by mouldy meals in her stench-filled home.

The blind 93-year-old, who died more than 12 months after she was put into a care home, was admitted to hospital in December 2010 and her treatment sparked a safeguarding probe.

It uncovered a string of shortcomings by council workers who failed to act on concerns that Mrs Wiseman's health was deteriorating in the filthy bungalow.

Now, following a THIRD investigation, it has emerged police were not invited to the initial safeguarding meeting, and an allegation of assault on Mrs Wiseman was not immediately reported to officers.

Mrs Wiseman's 67-year-old son, a semi-retired gardener, rejected the apology from Newcastle city council and branded the compensation offer "disgusting".

He said: "An apology is not enough. It's been incredibly traumatic for me and I still have nightmares about it. I suffer from depression.

"But it's nothing compared to what my mum must have gone through.

"I'm angry and I'm totally disgusted. No one has ever been held accountable.

"And to offer PS900 is like saying an old person's life is worth nothing.

"The only way to stop vulnerable people being treated poorly is to make sure those responsible are held to account."

The latest report enforced a number of criticisms leveled at the council for their handling of Mrs Wiseman in the run-up to her being hospitalised.

Between 15 and 17 care workers visited the frail pensioner's bungalow, in South Gosforth, in the eight weeks before she was discovered on December 7 2010.

And it also found a number of shortcomings in communication between the authorities and Mike, and it also found council staff failed to take action despite being warned that Mrs Wiseman's standard of living was plummeting.

Social workers failed to carry out a single visit to the filthy bungalow during the three-months between September 14 and December 7, 2010.

And today it emerged that Mr Wiseman is also fighting a repossession order on his mum's home on Aidan Walk.

Mr Wiseman, who relocated from his home in Bognor Regis to be near his mum before her death, said: "All we want is recognition for what happened. My mum worked hard and she didn't deserve to be treated like this."

Mrs Wiseman's home was in such a state she was admitted to hospital after ambulance staff made a routine visit to the property. According to a doctor's notes, she was found "unkempt, smelling of faeces, rambling and disorientated in time". …